A Cincinnati man has been found guilty by a federal jury in Covington on charges of armed cocaine trafficking and illegal firearm possession. The jury reached a verdict after less than three hours of deliberation following a three-day trial, convicting 33-year-old Anthony Wynn on multiple charges: possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Law enforcement testimony revealed that in August 2020, officers stopped Wynn’s vehicle to investigate a suspected DUI. During the stop, officers discovered two bags of crack cocaine and a bag of marijuana on him. They also found a loaded firearm in the glove box and a digital scale in the center console, with another loaded firearm located in the trunk. It was established that Wynn used the firearms to protect himself, his drugs, and the proceeds from potential robbery. At the time of his arrest, Wynn was aware of his prior felony convictions, which prohibited him from possessing firearms.
Wynn's criminal history includes prior convictions for facilitation of robbery and first-degree trafficking in controlled substances in Campbell County Circuit Court in 2010, as well as first-degree trafficking in cocaine and heroin in Kenton County Circuit Court in 2015.
The conviction was jointly announced by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge at the ATF Louisville Field Office; and Chief Brian Valenti of the Covington Police Department. The investigation was carried out by ATF and the Covington Police Department, with the U.S. Attorney's Office represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Bracke and Joel King.
Wynn is set to be sentenced on July 16, 2025. He faces a potential sentence ranging from a minimum of five years to life imprisonment. However, the court will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and federal statutes before determining the sentence.
This prosecution was part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program, aimed at reducing violent crime through comprehensive public safety efforts, including criminal investigation and prosecution, along with preventative and reentry initiatives. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, these efforts are coordinated by Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey in collaboration with various law enforcement agencies.